ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the impact of political devolution upon popular music policy and argues that the development of political devolution offers a new lens through which to view popular music policy, as it is in effect a level between local and nation-state government. The development of much popular music policy in Scotland has its origins in some initiatives undertaken by the publicly-funded Scottish Development Agency (SDA) in the early 1990s. The future of funding of popular music in Scotland is once again in the balance as Scottish Enterprise is going through reorganization and the Scottish Arts Council (SAC) is set to develop into Creative Scotland. The Scotland Act also contains provision for the Parliament to vary income tax by up to 3 per cent from the United Kingdom (UK). Meanwhile cultural policy in Scotland suffered from a lack of clear direction and a succession of ministers who have held the post for brief periods.
